THE MINIMALIST; In a Stockpot, Home Brew Beats Store-Bought

By Mark Bittman

Published: July 27, 2005

ALL stocks are useful, and a good vegetable stock is a fine weapon to add to your culinary arsenal. I wouldn't argue that its flavor is better than that of meat stock, but it certainly is different -- cleaner, fresher and lighter -- which makes it especially good in summer dishes like vegetable risottos and cold soups.

And it almost goes without saying that you do not have to be a vegetarian to love working with, and eating, such rich broths, though they certainly fit in with the ''less meat is better'' philosophy.

Canned vegetable stocks sold in stores, with just a couple of exceptions, are beyond disappointing. In fact, they are either insipid and overpriced or awful and overpriced. In general, they range from two to three dollars a quart and, since I'd estimate that you can make a quart of the Easy and Fast Vegetable Stock here for about 30 cents -- perhaps twice that, if you use organic vegetables -- you might as well give it a shot. And you probably have all the ingredients you need on hand already.

Not all homemade vegetable stocks are alike. You can vary the complexity, body and depth of flavor depending on the ingredients you use and the time you have.

More time, of course, makes better stock. But before I cooked batch after batch, I believed that roasting the vegetables was an absolutely essential first step. While the best vegetable stocks do begin this way, I have put together enough stocks in recent months to prove that you can produce quite a decent one in about 40 minutes without the preliminary roasting, and a superior one in an hour and a half.

In meat stocks two things come naturally: body or substance, and the meaty flavor, which can actually exist in some vegetables and is called umami -- the elusive ''fifth taste'' -- in Japanese cooking.

It's the body that is most difficult to replace: vegetables contain no gelatin, the stuff that makes good chicken stock gel when chilled. And though you can use vegetarian thickeners like agar to ''beef up'' meatless stock, the effect is just not the same.

But the body of a vegetable stock can be enhanced by reducing, or boiling out some of the cooking liquid. Adding a potato helps too; its natural starch makes the stock a little richer. Using some olive oil not only enhances texture but adds welcome flavor, too.

Umami is intrinsic to some foods and can be coaxed from others. Milk does not have it, but Parmesan sure does. Though soybeans have little of this meatiness, soy sauce is loaded with it. Mushrooms, too. Browned meat has more umami than unbrowned. In fact, when you brown just about anything you create a meaty flavor, which is why browned-vegetable stock is best.

Here are three levels of straightforward vegetable stock, varying in preparation time and complexity, as well as in the outcome. (Even cutting the vegetables into smaller pieces, which takes a few extra minutes, helps extract more flavor.) There is also a mushroom stock that can be useful in dishes you want give a deep mushroom flavor, like rich stews.

There's one more key here: the balance of vegetables. If you add too many potatoes in your quest for more body you could turn your stock bland. For bolder flavor, you might decide to add turnips, cabbage, eggplant or green pepper. Oops, that would be a blunder: any one of those would overwhelm everything else. Or you might think more sweetness will help (a mistake that many food manufacturers make), so you throw in a couple of extra carrots. Sorry: you get carrot juice.

I'm not saying my combinations are perfect. To some degree this is a matter of taste, and there are other factors as well. Depending on the time of year and, of course, the source, vegetables vary in intensity. Furthermore, this kind of stock making is more an art than a science.

Though you're never going to miss a parsnip, some ingredients are nearly essential. I can't see making stock without garlic and onion; a little carrot is a good thing, as long as its sweetness is balanced by the bitterness of celery; parsley (you can use just the stems) brings depth.

Finally, a word about storing stock. You can keep it in the refrigerator as long as you bring it to a boil every second or third day; that will keep it from spoiling, more or less indefinitely. Freezing, of course, is more efficient. If you want to save space, boil the stock down to about half its original volume, and you have concentrate. Just remember to add water when you cook with it.

Either way, frozen stock will keep for weeks or months, though its flavor will deteriorate somewhat over time. If you remember you have it, however, it's unlikely to last that long.

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan or small stockpot with 6 cups water, and bring to a boil. Adjust heat so mixture simmers gently, and cook about 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. (Longer is better if you have the time.)

1. Put oil in a deep skillet, broad saucepan or casserole, and turn heat to medium-high. A minute later add carrots, onion, potato, celery, garlic and mushrooms. Cook about 5 minutes; then stir once or twice. When vegetables begin to brown proceed to next step. (If you have more time brown them well, stirring infrequently.)

2. Add parsley, 6 cups water and some pepper. Bring to a boil, and adjust heat so mixture simmers gently. Cook about 30 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender. (Longer is better if you have the time.)

3. Strain. Add soy sauce and more pepper. Taste, and adjust seasoning -- adding more soy sauce or a bit of salt -- before using or storing.

2. Use a slotted spoon to scoop all ingredients into a stockpot; add all remaining ingredients (except salt and pepper) and 8 cups water. Turn heat to high. Meanwhile, put roasting pan over a burner set to high, and add 2 to 4 cups water, depending on depth of pan. Bring it to a boil, and cook, scraping off all bits of food on bottom. Pour this mixture into stockpot (along with 2 more cups of water if you used only 2 cups for deglazing).

3. Bring stockpot to a boil. Partly cover, and adjust heat so mixture sends up a few bubbles at a time. Cook until vegetables are very soft, 30 to 45 minutes. Strain, pressing on vegetables to force out as much juice as possible. Taste, and add more soy sauce, salt or pepper if necessary. Store or serve.

1. Put half the oil in a large pan, and turn heat to medium-high. Add onion, shallot or leek, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add carrots and celery, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 10 minutes or so longer. Remove with a slotted spoon.

2. Put remaining oil in pan, and add button mushrooms. Turn heat to high, and cook, stirring, until they give up their juices and begin to brown well, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt. Add dried mushrooms and cooked vegetables, and stir.

3. Stir in 8 cups water, along with parsley and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat so that stock bubbles vigorously. Cook, stirring once or twice, until vegetables are very soft and stock has reduced slightly, about 30 minutes. Strain, pressing on vegetables to force out as much juice as possible. Taste, and add more soy sauce, salt or pepper if necessary.